He Takes Off Clothes - And Lands In Jail

Crimes of the mind - Case Studey No. 2

Stuart is a college-educated former Army sergeant who has been arrested 22 times since 1960 - frequently because he takes off his clothes.

He has ridden his bike naked, raked leaves naked and walked around his Orlando yard and neighborhood naked.

It's what manic depression has done to him.

Stuart, who didn't want his full name used, doesn't want his neighbors to know of his embarrassing problems, although neighbors are often the ones to call police.

Once, when he was naked in public and a child was around, he was accused of lewd behavior. But psychologists emphasize the 58-year-old man is not an exhibitionist.

``It's sort of like, I think sort of, I have the freedom to do it, and I really don't,'' he said. ``It's sort of a divine kind of thing, in heaven sort of.

``Sometimes I'd say, `I have to get ahold of these things.' Sometimes I could; sometimes I couldn't,'' said Stuart, who feels now he is ``mellowing with age.''

Stuart's troubles started when he was in his mid-20s, and he has been in psychiatric hospitals about a dozen times. But once freed, he has stopped his therapy and medications, complaining about side effects.

That's when he gets into trouble.

Most of the time he exposes himself. Once, he ran through a busy restaurant after punching a police officer, yelling: ``Call the president! I'm a U.S. fire marshal!'' Another time he smashed a neighbor's patio glass table. That crime made him a convicted felon.

His sister is angry that police more often jail Stuart rather than get him help.

``Our brother is not a criminal, and he's jailed with all these criminals,'' she said.

``He's put in a situation making his mental illness even worse because he can't handle it. It breaks my heart.''